Thanks a bunch! I like this solution over Wallch.. as you don't have to install any extra apps to achieve the same purpose
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AntonyJun 6 '14 at 6:00

2

do i need to create a startup application for the same or will it work everytime?
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Arun KumarJun 27 '14 at 15:16

1

Old thread, but comes up highest in search. This is BY FAR the easiest method. Still works perfectly and, to @Arun Kumar's question, loads automatically with no further work. Note: When trying to import images from a symlink, I had to change the import location in Settings by picking the folder, otherwise it would not allow selection of the images.
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u2nJan 28 at 0:45

I have modified the above script, adapting it to be a Nautilus Script: stefanobagnatica.it/dl/jaub/create_slideshow.sh.txt Just put that in .local/share/nautilus/scripts, than in Nautilus select folder with wallpapers and right click > Scripts > create_slideshow: it will create XML file in .backgrounds and XML wallpaper definition file in gnome-background-properties folder.
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PisuJul 9 '13 at 20:35

You might be interested in a program that automatically creates such a wallpaper-slideshow.

According to this OMG! Ubuntu post, you have for example 'Wallpaper Gallery'. It takes as input data tagged photos from your Shotwell gallery. Therefore it becomes very easy to add & remove photos for instance.

First select the tags concerning the photos you want to be displayed, then configure as you wish the switching time, the order, etc. Here some screenshots :

For example, there should be one in /usr/share/backgrounds/contest (at least on Precise Pangolin).

The file is called precise.xml in my case and it is an XML file. All you need to know to modify it is that any tag like <background> contains other tags and texts and must be closed with </background>.

Try to find out what these tags mean (see below), change the name of these pictures and save as... somewhere. Call it whatever_you_want.xml.

<background> contains everything. Your file must begin with it and end with </background>. It's called the root tag.<starttime> defines when the diaporama starts. A precise date must be given, any date.<static> contains the definition of a still image.<transition> is used to fade from one image to the other.<duration> gives in seconds the time during witch the picture is displayed or the fading time.<file> contains a single image to show as still.<from> and <to> contain single images which are respectively the one at the beginning and at the end of a fading.

Some additionnal hints:

By adding the number of seconds of all the <duration> tags in the file, you'll know how much time it takes to perform a complete loop of the diaporama.

The nicest configuration is this one (simplified, without durations):<static><file>image1</file></static><transition><from>image1</from><to>image2</to></transition><static><file>image2</file></static><duration><from>image2</from><to>image3</to></duration>...

Don't forget to end your diaporama with a transition to your first picture, or else it will abruptly change from one static to another.

I tried to do an animated background, once. Images displayed less than 1 second each. You can try it for fun, but frankly, you'll want to throw your mouse to the monitor before the end of the day.

Your script looks pretty good. Are you up for creating a slightly different version to answer this question: askubuntu.com/q/35971/458 ? It has been open for 10 months and is not getting answers.
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Richard HollowayFeb 27 '12 at 14:48

@RichardHolloway, that's a good question you've linked, but one that I've run out of time to help answer. If you or anyone else wants to take the script and run with it, they're welcome to do so.
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zpletanFeb 28 '12 at 2:21

Ok here is how I did it, which is probably not the best way to do it but it worked and I didn't have to install anything to do it. Back in 11.10 I found the below python script (slideshow.py) which generates a slideshow.xml file (run from directory with the images in it). This is still the file needed in 12.04 but you also need another XML file. Put the XML file generated by slideshow.py script in /usr/share/backgrounds/contest and chown it to root. Once that is done you'll need to run the second python script (wallpapers.py) which was adapted from the first. Put the file generated from wallpapers.py in /usr/share/gnome-background-properties and again chown it to root. At that point you should be able to go into "System Settings" -> Appearance and pick your slideshow or any of the pics in it.

After seeing this request, I was curious about a solution and found something to be able to get your wallpaper image to be a part of the default wallpaper selection when going into System Settings >> Appearances. Follow the steps below in a terminal:

cd /usr/share/gnome-background-properties

This will take you to the specific path mentioned

sudo cp ./ubuntu-wallpapers.xml ~

This will copy the file ubuntu-wallpapers.xml into your home
directory

sudo vim ./ubuntu-wallpapers.xml

The command vim is a terminal editor but you can change it to gedit if you wish

Once you are in that file, you will see tags called <wallpaper> and </wallpaper> that is around the other tags like <name> and <options>. You will need to copy that and paste it right below that entry. Once done, you should edit that extra entry you added to match what you want. An example can be found below:

In this example, I made changes to the <name>, <filename>, <pcolor>, and <scolor> information to match what I needed for the wallpaper I wanted. Now I see the wallpaper as a default selection in the wallpaper section of the System Settings -> Appearance GUI:

If anything doesn't work, use the following command to import back the save file we made from above:

feh, an imlib2 based image viewer is a very flexible, efficient and and powerful X11 image viewer aimed mostly at console users. "Unlike most other viewers, it does not have a fancy GUI, but simply displays images. It is controlled via commandline arguments and configurable key/mouse actions."

I'm doing randomized slideshows of a set of many thousands of images with it, in a deep directory structure. When running in window mode, rather than desktop background, I can add comments to them easily when I see one I like, and go into sequential mode to look for similar ones.